Formula 1 driver Paul di Resta with Nick Lomas Director General of the Caravan Club beside a motor home of the kind Nick uses when he's out on the circuit.

Formula 1 racing driver Paul di Resta was the special guest of The Caravan Club at the opening of the Scottish Caravan and Outdoor Leisure Show last weekend. (2-5 February)

The Bathgate born 25-year-old told the SECC crowd: “A caravan gives me a ‘home-y ‘ feeling when I’m on the circuit.’ A Caravan Club member, he said his family had always enjoyed caravanning and commented that it was ‘a big thing’ for him to open the show.

Within a couple of days of his appearance in Glasgow, he was in Jerez, Spain clocking up the second fastest time of the day just 0.102s behind former world champion Kimi Raikkonen.

Paul, who was driving the Mercedes powered Sahara Force India VJMO5 said: “It was a good, solid day’s work,” after completing 101 laps round the 2.75 mile circuit. He added: “There’s still an awful long way to go before the start of the first race in Melbourne.”

There’s an even longer way to go before caravanning becomes as popular as it could be but the Caravan Club is investing heavily in Scotland. According to Nick Lomas, Director General of the Caravan Club who introduced Paul at the show: ‘We have spent £2 million in Strathclyde Park which provides more than 100 car pitches and 50 for tents. There are now more than 200 sites across Scotland and we expect occupancy to be up 25% on last year. There will definitely be more people staying closer to home this year. They’ll discover they can fall in love with their own country.”

Editor's Corner

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